Researchers at the University of Cologne have just developed a method which makes it possible to determine very precisely the biological age of an organism.
- This new method for calculating biological age is based on the transcriptome, ie all the RNAs resulting from the reading of genes.
- Very precise, this new biological clock makes it possible to better understand, and in an individual way, the aging process, as well as the development of age-related diseases.
What if it were possible to determine with unparalleled precision the biological age of any organism, simply by analyzing its transcriptome, that is to say all the RNAs resulting from the transcription of the genome?
This is what two researchers, bioinformatician David Meyer and geneticist Björn Schumacher, from the Cologne Molecular Medicine Center (CMMC), have managed to do. In a study published in the journal Aging Cell, they explain that they have developed a method based on the transcriptome to design a biological clock taking into consideration all the genes that are read from DNA (messenger RNA) to make proteins for the cell. Their new clock was named “BiT age” (binarized transcriptomic aging clock).
A very accurate prediction of biological age
Until now, scientists determined biological age using aging systems such as Horvath’s epigenetic clock. This is based on the pattern of methylations, small chemical groups that attach to DNA and change with age.
Thanks to a new calculation method, researchers can now establish a precise biological clock based on gene activity. This was not possible before, as the transcriptome was considered too complex to indicate age.
How does this new method work? The binarized transcriptome aging clock divides genes into two groups – “on” or “off” – thus minimizing significant variations. This makes aging predictable from the transcriptome. “Amazingly, this simple procedure allows very accurate prediction of biological age, close to the theoretical limit of accuracy, says Dr. Meyer. More importantly, this aging clock also works at high ages, which have previously been difficult to be measured because the variation in gene activity is then particularly high.
Better understand the aging process
This new biological aging clock will notably enable researchers to accurately predict the pro- and anti-aging effects of gene variants and various external factors. It also shows that immune response genes and signaling in neurons are important for the aging process. Finally, this new transcriptome-based biological clock will make it possible to more accurately determine the influence of the environment, diet or therapies on the aging process and the development of age-related diseases.
“This clock could therefore find wide application in aging research. As biological age is based solely on gene activity, it can be applied to any organism”concludes Dr. Schumacher.
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